Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell
by FloodFeSTeR
Summary: Nevaeh just wants to have someone look after her for once and be able to not look after her father. After she finds herself a good babysitter, everything changes, for good and for bad. A few suprises litter the road ahead of her, can she take them? Or will they be the end of her? Charon/OC
1. WARNING

**WARNING:**

**So I was thinking I would redo this whole story, add some stuff ya know, take out some things that didn't make sense because when I first started this story it was a partner project with someone that no longer has an account on here because they made just a **_**few**_** mistakes. There were some things left out, not enough stalls between chapters and everything so wish me luck and I will start redoing chapters tonight.**


	2. Preface

_Alright, starting over like i said. I hope this is better, I am currently trying to fix everything my partner screwed up._

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**Preface**

She stared out at the Wasteland, a sadistic grin on her pretty face and nothing between her and the harsh landscape but a leather jacket and a pair of tiny shorts. She held the pistol close to her, checking the clip and then slamming it back inside the barrel. She scored the weapon from Amata, when she came running into her room panicking about a dead Jonas and a missing father. She ran her tongue over her cracked lips, rolling her hips gently, backside peeking out from the edge of her shorts.

She had left chaos behind her in the Vault; every guard was dead, the Overseer was spread eagled on the floor in the security office, a bullet between his eyes. Butch was huddled in the corner still, she knew that much, his mother at his side in their tiny apartment, their only protection from the chaos in the other parts of the Vault. Flashes of all the chaos were imprinted in her brain, Jonas' mangled body the main image to stick out in her head. It was imprinted in the wrinkles of her brain. It would probably never leave her, for as long as she lived. It would just be a part of her, a trait, a deep rooted memory.

Jonas was one of the innocent ones, one of three she had left behind, but she pushed that all back to focus on the problem at hand. Her father. She felt like the parent in their relationship. She always had to keep up with him, calm him down, put him to bed when he refused to sleep but needed it. Now she had to rain him in from the wild antics he just pulled. She rolled her eye thinking about him and started down the steep hill towards this place called Megaton, the name beeping on her Pip-Boy minutes ago. She would find him, eventually, and talk some sense into him, explain all the wrong her just caused for no reason.

Did he care? No, probably not. He never thought about how his actions affected others. He never cared who choked on his fallout, so why should she?

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_First chapter down, another 33 or more to go!_


	3. New Babysitter

"Nevaeh will you shut up!"

I rolled my head over to peer at Michael Hawthorne, my drinking buddy.

He held his head in his hands and was staring down at the dusty floor with this lost and hopeless look in his pretty eyes. He looked pretty rough. I cackled though and tipped my bottle back, taking a wonderful swig of whiskey. They say whiskey kills brain cells, then again they say all alcohol kills brain cells. Wouldn't that be great? To just be stupid the rest of your life? Never having to worry about your actions, having someone else take care of you? I started to sing again, this time even louder; Shakes seemed to be enjoying my singing, seeing as how he was trying to sing along with me. I wonder if robots can get drunk? That would be a theory to test out one day when I was really wasted.

**Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,**

**Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.**

**When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing.**

**Oh wasn't that the dainty dish to set before the king?**

"Nevaeh…"

I continued to sing my strange song.

**The king was in his counting house counting his money.**

**The queen was in the parlor eating bread and honey.**

**The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes,**

**When down came a blackbird and pecked off her nose!**

"Nevaeh! Will you shut the fuck up already?!"

I chuckled deeply and ran my hand down the side of Michael's face, making his cheeks heat up under my fingers. My golden eyes flickered over to the door way of the Federalist's Lounger, seeing Susan Lancaster leaning against the frame. Her eyes were narrowed at me and I flicked my tongue out at her. That look of pure disgust, you know that one, the one that makes you feel so dirty et so powerful all at the same time because you so easily influenced someone's emotions so quickly, so easily, crossed over her dainty features and she turned around, leaving me to cackle beside a clueless Michael.

Stupid bitch saw me as competition, I was no competition. Michael was only my buddy, not any love or lust interest. I only needed a happy face to drink with or my whole mood would go down, and usually he was the happy face, but today he seems pretty down. He never told me to shut up, even when I was more aggravating than I was right now, and I can tell you I can get way more annoying; it's like a special talent of mine now and I own it with pride. He was also ignoring his drink, which was a rare thing for him. His poor bottle of scotch was just sitting there by his elbow, looking so lonely…and vulnerable. I eased my fingers over to it, probably a comical sight to anyone else, but in my head I was on a real, intense mission, and then snatched it up, tossing my empty bottle of whiskey into the trash bin by my chair.

"Wha-hic-t's wrong Mi-hic-chael?" I breathed against his chest.

Damn I could keep my head up for nothing. I looked up again and met his pale blue eyes. He was quite sober and I didn't like that. Sober people could think about all their problems and it ruined their moods. Drunken people had alcohol muddling their brains and could only think of where they'd pass out later, maybe. Sometimes it isn't so easy. Speaking of where I would pass out I hope Godfrey was up…I needed someone to help me out of this Paingiver armor. Wolfgang, you know Crazy Wolfgang right, yeah he said he found this on a dead pack Brahmin up north, near an old rail road to this place he called The Pitt. I liked it, but the spikes on the chest hurt my boobs and neck when I slept in it. That's why I usually went commando when I slept.

Michael sighed, sitting up a little and running his long fingers through his shaggy blonde hair. Damn, for a second there he was like really hot. "Nothing's wrong Nevaeh, just the fact that we have an entire city in the metros beneath us. It's driving me crazy, I can't take it anymore."

I sat up the best I could. See what I meant with sober people? Thinking about their problems again…what was wrong with them? "Ok, well I'll go ch-hic-eck on them tomorrow. Deal? I'll get the key soon, just gotta do that _favor_ for Dashwood."

Michael grinned, knowing what I was talking about. "I can get the med's from Banfield."

"And so Operation: Sedate Susan Lancaster begins."

Michael chuckled, his mood instantly brightening thanks to my stupidity. "Alright it's late, I'm gonna go get the meds. I'll try to sneak them into her food or whatever sometime next week."

I cocked my head, one eye involuntarily closing. "Why next week?"

His eyes darkened, and I gotta say I love it when they do that. It meant our brains were totally in sync, on the same wave length. "Because I want to have some more fun with the broad before we give her up to Dashwood. I never liked seconds and there are still a few more positions I want to experiment with before she's ripped apart by ferals."

I grinned like a mad woman and raised my hand for a high five, which he returned with intensity. I could feel it rattle through my bones. "Hell yeah, by the way I just scared her off a few moments ago. Go get her."

He chuckled and stood, leaving me alone. I leaned back in my chair slightly, enjoying the way the ceiling turned into a spiral for a moment, and took a gentle sip of my whiskey. Damn I loved this stuff, it burned in all the right ways. I guess I would qualify as a drunk now huh? No one had said anything yet, nobody had the balls to fuck with me because of Tenpenny and I's relationship. I looked around the lounge, confused by the way I could see the dimensions of everything moving around me. I wish they had Galaxy New Radio, or hell some holotapes to pop in, this elevator music was annoying. But oh no, that type of stuff wasn't 'proper'. Whatever, they were living in the Capital Wasteland, in probably the worst part of it too, there was a fucking raider camp down the road almost and they had no real connection to the outside world. Morons.

I sighed eventually and pushed myself up from the old chair I was sitting in and stretched, my bare stomach exposed in Raider Painspike armor. I love this shit, it is so damn sexy, and coming from the vault I was totally transfixed when I got my hands on this shit. All we had to look sexy in the vault were our night clothes, and the color just did not go good with our pale skin color. We looked like sick gray meat.

I could feel eyes on me as I pranced through the lobby, or at least as I tried to, it was just not going so well with my drunken state. I knew those eyes on me were Gustavo's scrutinizing eyes on me as I entered the elevator but I could care less. No lit, no problem. I knew where the buttons were by memory now. I pressed the button at the very top and slid down to the floor, back against the wall of the elevator as I breathed in deeply through my nose. No vomit, not right now. They were still pretty peeved about me puking in here last time. I smirked, remembering the look of disgust on everyone's faces. It was hilarious. They were such wannabe snots, they just did not know what I had grown up with, around. Those people in the vault? They are as snotty as they come, I'm glad I gave them a good dose of horror. Hopefully that balanced them out enough so that they would grow some balls, open the vault and really live. They just didn't understand how much they needed to open that door.

The elevator dinged and I crawled out towards my door, sitting on my knees as I attempted to unlock the door. I crawled inside, telling Godfrey to shut and lock the door, and then climbed onto my heart bed in the center of the room. I stretched out in content, feeling the ancient silk brush against my exposed flesh as a sigh escaped my lips.

"Godfrey?" I sang out.

"Yes Madam?" he whirred over to me, hovering beside the bed while I stared at him through half lidded eyes. "What is it you need?"

"I need you to help me get undressed, can you bring me my-hic-sleeping clothes?"

"Yes Madam."

It took a solid 30 minutes for me to get undressed, my Pip-Boy told me that. Poor Godfrey. I felt bad for him. He was my babysitter when I was in the tower. It made me feel bad that he had to take care of me, a grown woman. And it was all because I was usually so plastered I couldn't walk or at least walk properly.

I blame my father for this, mostly, but I do blame myself a little. I was the one getting fucked up, forcing my robot butler to help me change like I was a five year old. But the whole reason I got drunk was because of my memories of the vault, the vault my father locked me inside of. It made all of those insecurities and issues go away, made my dad go away. I should be following him ya know, following him to Rivet City and making sure he was ok. Damn I needed to go after him, but he made me so angry, filled me with so much rage that I didn't want to even admit I was related to him let alone look for him.

I was done taking care of my father, I was done watching him and following him. I'm sick of it. I'm only looking out for myself now. But back to my main problem: finding me a replacement babysitter for Godfrey.

I rolled onto my stomach, staring at Godfrey as he got as comfortable as he could in his station. I wonder how robots even got comfortable.

"Hey Godfrey?"

"Yes?"

"How would you feel if I got a new babysitter?"

"I would love it."

I chuckled and rolled onto my back, sighing as I stared up at the ceiling and then closed my eyes, reveling in the cold air provided by the towers generators.

"That was a rather quick answer. Alright then I'll start looking for a new babysitter immediately."

"That would be amazing.

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_Alright so I did add a lot of stuff to this chapter, but if you think it's the same that's alright too._


	4. Hmm

_Sorry i posted a third chapter today, but i didn't think I would get the fourth chapter redone so quickly, thought it would take longer. I hope those of you rereading it noticed the changes and like them._

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"Ugh my head," I groaned, shielding my eyes from the sun with my measly long hand.

Walking sucked, and I only say this right now because I don't have sunglasses anymore. They were on the ground somewhere between Chevy Chase and Galaxy News. Fucking super mutant crushed them with their huge fat ass. I hate those things, they took this guy from Big Town and turned him into one of them somehow, I'm not really sure where the hell those things come from anyway. I had known who it was that was freshly changed because of the tattered clothing they were wearing when they returned a week later. They looked like they had still been in the process of changing because their eyes were still so small and their skin color still had splotches of human looking skin.

I sighed and passed through the chain gate, smiling a little into the lovely shade of the metro. I paused for a moment to light a cigarette, cupping my hand over the flame so it caught the end of the cigarette and turned it red. Maybe I should go scavenging for some sunglasses if I visited the city again. That would be so helpful in battle. As I walked further into the tunnel I could hear voices filtering up towards me and put on my best smile. No sense in bringing everyone else down while I had a migraine that was my fault. Roy and Bessie Lynn saw me first, Bessie moving forward with more grace than I could ever hope to achieve. I love Bessie, even if she was a ghoul. I loved her warm smile and patchy skin. I had brought her a dress from a store near the Museum of Technology, it was white and looked stunning on her splotchy flesh, even though there were a few rising blood stains around her waist.

"Good morning Nevaeh, is everything ok?"

Even though ghouls couldn't have children, Bessie Lynn had natural mother instincts. And I was her baby. I shook my head, taking a nice drag from my cigarette. "No, everything's not ok. I gotta get the key from Dashwood and find me a good babysitter, or bodyguard. Both."

She chuckled and Roy glared. I don't think Roy liked me, and honestly I don't think I like him but strangely I am not sure about it. I mean sure, we could fight together good, we had proved that to each other when a gang of raiders attacked us one day, but really talking and just being normal people-eh we were not compatible. But we worked together because I was his and everyone else's ticket into the tower so he compromised. The only things we had in common were fighting, our hatred for the residents of the tower and Bessie. She was almost a safe haven for us, but there was only so much she could do with our tempers.

"Maybe Roy can-"

"No," he stated bluntly, taking a swig of the beer in his hand.

I licked my lip but said nothing, just took another drag from my cigarette and ashed it. Bessie sighed and pats her lover on the shoulder then led me down the steps. There were small fires lit under the platform, several figures huddled around each one. A few of the occupants looked back at me as I passed them, some glaring, others smiling. I smiled back when I could and ignored the glares. I saved their lives, but I gotta say I would be a little peeved at me too if I had been stuck down here for two months with no lee-way. I growled at myself, taking another drag off of my cigarette. I always had that little nagging thought that I had to rationalize everyone else's side of things. I hated that shit sometimes. Bessie led me through the tunnels, towards her Roy's and Michael's area. I grinned when I heard the familiar laughs and clinks of bottles, smelt the haze of cigarette smoke and my mood instantly brightened.

"HEY!" they all yelled in a buzzed/drunken haze.

I waved slightly, taking a seat between Jericho and Gob, leaning my head on Gob's shoulder when he scooted closer. "What's up guys?" I yawned, taking a drag from my cigarette and ashing it on the table.

I think Gob likes me, and I mean _likes_ me. He's always touching me and stuff, but I don't think about it in any other way but friendship because he has never tried to push it any further than a hand on my knee.

Nova grinned at me, wiggling her copper eyebrows. "Getting' fucked up and hoping to get a good lay."

"Hell yeah sweetheart," Jericho grinned grossly.

I chuckled when I saw Nova roll her eyes. She would fuck Jericho, hell no one wants to fuck him. She would probably sneak up to the tower and seduce Anthony Ling, she could do that, but I couldn't. I can't seduce someone and just fuck them. Hell I would fuck Anthony Ling, but I don't really like sex, just never been so pleased with the thought of it. I wiggled my own eyebrows at her when we locked eyes and it caused her grin to widen. I chuckled and sat up fully, reaching across the table for a bottle of booze. I could feel Gob's eyes trail up my back but paid it no mind and fell back into the chair.

Gob noticed me drinking this early and expressed his worry. "You ok?" he asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I sighed and looked over to where Bessie had been standing, she was gone. Bitch had fed me to the wolves. I sighed again and took a drag from my cigarette and took a sip of the glowing whiskey in my hand.

"I need a bodyguard, a good one. Anyone got any ideas?"

Gob looked uncomfortable, not meeting my eyes. Nova shrugged her shoulders slowly, taking a sip of her beer. Jericho voiced his 'services' but I nearly blanched at that. I hated Jericho most of the time, the only reason I was tolerating him right now is because I didn't want to have a fight because of my headache. He was always trying to grope me and trying to talk me into his bed, he calls it seducing, but I call it disgusting. Yeah whiskey breath and a scratchy, dirty beard. How can I turn that down? Oh let's not forget he's pushing 65 and I'm not even close to my twentieth birthday. I don't know what's wrong with me that I can turn that down.

Gob cleared his throat when the room got quiet, successfully catching my attention. "I have an idea," he nearly whispered.

I raised a brow at him. "You know mercenaries?"

He huffed and puffed his chest, his squishy cheeks taking a light red tint. Nova cackled on the other side of the table at his display of offence. "I do. You remember where I'm from?"

I nodded, pilfering a cigarette from my pocket. "Yeah, Underworld. What about it?" I cupped my hand over the lighter and watched the end of my cigarette blaze to life.

He gave a good 'humph' and relaxed back into his chair, making me chuckle a little. "Well there's this guy I know that would be an excellent bodyguard."

I leaned back, bracing one hand against the edge of the table. "How would I know? What if he isn't as good as you think?"

Gob took a sip and shook his head a little. "He is a pre-war ghoul, before the war he was trained to be the best of the best. I've seen his work first hand and I can guarantee he is good."

I leaned back in my chair and inhaled on my cigarette, staring up at the ceiling while the chatter resumed around me. Was it really worth traversing through the metro tunnels _and_ D.C. for one man? Was he really that good? He better be or I am going to be one pissed bitch. I guess I could at least try it out, if he wasn't any good I could just get my money back and send him on his way or whatever right? I exhaled a new pouf of smoke, hypnotized by a stain on the table. I ashed my cigarette on the table, sitting upright and running a hand over my bare stomach as I stretched a little. I caught Jericho's sleazy grin and scooted away, leaning into Gob again. He noticed and glared at Jericho, who promptly glared back.

I sighed at nothing and inhaled on my cigarette again. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, ash, inhale, exhale, booze, inhale, ash, exhale. _One painful, harmful thing after another and I called this my routine. That meant my life sucked I think. I rolled my eyes at myself and leaned forward onto my folded arms, wishing I was a better person. I stood and snuffed out my cigarette on the table, making everyone look towards me, expectant on something.

"I'm gonna go check out this guy, Underworld right?" Gob nodded and grabbed up another beer. "Well then I'm going."

Gob smiled warily but stood up and hugged me tightly. "Good luck kid, I hope everything goes ok."

I gave a hearty sigh, reaching across the table to give Nova a one armed hug. "You and me both. I hope this doesn't take too long, or I hope I don't die. Either one works right?"

"Right, be careful honey," Nova smiled and sat back down, smoothing out her stained skirt.

I saluted them and left the metro station, groaning at the sun when I reached the bright ass sun. It hurt so damn much! I shook my head and looked around with one hand on the handle of my laser rifle. I scored the beautiful weapon off a dead Brotherhood Initiate in the D.C. ruins. It's a good weapon, I love this thing. Kills everything immediately.

I started walking towards this pink store near the metro tunnel and grinned, starting towards the store. I nudged to the door open with the end of my rifle, ready to fire if need be, but it was empty inside. I strapped my gun to my back and started to dig my way through the mess inside this small box. How the hell did people do this? I don't understand shopping, I hate it in a way. I grinned again when I found a decent pair of sunglasses, sliding them on gently. The room instantly got dark and that made me so happy. Stepping outside was not problem and I all but cried when my eyes didn't sting. I hate the fucking sun.


	5. Underworld

"Fuck you, you fucking fucker fuckity fuck!" I screamed at the dead raider.

Yeah he was dead, yeah I was still shooting him in the face with his own gun, but he had just pissed me off so fucking much! My leg was practically gushing blood, I expected one stream to spurt out like in those old movies when someone got hit in the forehead, but no it just dribble down my leg and pooled in my boots. I cursed and shot the raider on more tome, throwing his pistol into the trash. I heard it finally shatter into pieces and actually felt bad for the gun.

I started limping towards the chain gate, gritting my teeth against the pain coming from my leg. I paused, fingers threaded through the chain as I pressed a little weight onto my injured leg. When I pressed down blood seeped back up around my calf and trickled down the edges of my boots. I sighed and pushed the gate open, smirking and flipping the sun off. Ha ha, fucker I got glasses now. You can't get me anymore. Underworld better have a good damn doctor, the pain was getting worse as I hobbled towards the steps. When I actually reached the top of the steps I felt a bullet whizz past my face. I blinked, slowly, and turned my head to the left. There was a brute going crazy with a hunting rifle, just firing off in random directions and I guess hoping to hit something. Well he almost hit me and if I wasn't in such bad condition I would totally go after him. I groaned a little as the pain thumped from my thigh and looked around in desperation, seeing the door to the Museum of Natural History behind me. _Thank you Jesus,_ I thought and tried my damdest to run towards those doors, but it just was not working out so well. A female ghoul roaming around the metro steps noticed me and jogged at me, a laser rifle in her hands.

"Hey you alright?" she asked, helping me inside.

It was humid in the museum, giving my lungs a good workout as I leaned against an old receptionists desk. "Just peachy," I gasped out, the pain was getting worse if that was possible.

The ghoul woman's stern face snapped to worry in a second and she started backing up towards the other room. "Fuck, wait here a minute. I can't get you all the way in there by myself." She placed a hand up and then jogged towards the other room and disappeared behind a huge set of double doors.

I grit my teeth and limped towards the other room, using the rounded desk as a support for a moment as I made my ways towards the room. There was this huge furry beast on a raised platform, velvety ropes surrounding its wide feet. A monstrous skull lay at my feet, its teeth large and menacing. Damn, I would hate to have those things running around the wasteland. I looked over, seeing what I guessed was its legs and tail on the platform opposite to the furry thing. It was almost like a Deathclaw but I doubt it was as small. Sure as hell didn't look small to me.

I shakily lit a cigarette, wishing that bitch would hurry up. My vision was starting to get blurry. Just as I thought that she returned with a ghoul in a roving traders outfit.

He practically skidded to a stop, his hazy eyes wide. "Damn that's a lot of blood."

I hadn't looked down at the wound since the metro, did it get worse?

"Help me get her inside dumbass," the female ghoul quipped, throwing one of my arms over her shoulder.

It threw me off balance for a moment and I hastily tucked my cigarette between my lips before the male ghoul tossed my other arm over his shoulder. They successfully helped me into the actually township, meaning I immediately wanted to cover my nose. It smelt like ghouls, rust, rot and Brahmin skin, which smelt like burnt meat and that was not a pleasant smell. Ghouls wandered around everywhere, one of them was stumbling up the left staircase, muttering about 'buggers'. I laughed at him, struggling to keep the cigarette in my mouth and succeeding in keeping it there.

"So what's your name? Mines Quinn," the male ghoul looked down at me.

I gave a snide laugh. "Names Nevaeh, it's Heaven spelt backwards."

"It's a strange name," he commented.

"I know," my voice was unintentionally sad, a puff of smoke escaping my cracked lips.

That didn't faze Quinn, he just started rambling about bullshit I didn't care about, only shutting his mouth when we entered a room labeled 'Chop Shop'. I swallowed hard, no that wasn't unsettling, not at all. There were shitty, blood stained cots lined against one wall, parted by thin medical blinds, and separated from two Glowing Ones by one thick layer of glass. To the left of the door was a dead feral, sprawled across a gurney, a ghoul in fatigues hunched over it with a clipboard held in his peeling hands.

He looked up when we came in, gesturing to an empty gurney when he saw me. "What seems to be the problem today?"

"You don't see the blood gushing from her leg, Barrows?" the female ghoul who helped me quipped at him.

"Quiet Willow," another female ghoul in the room placed a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

Willow just growled and jerked herself away from the other, stomping out the doors. I noticed all of the ghouls trying to sneak a peek into the room when the door fluttered closed and heard Willow yelling at them to mind their own business. I smirked and looked down at my leg, my jaw going slack and eyes widening when I saw it. I could see through a few layers of muscle, see black clots of blood clinging to a tiny, itsy bitsy nerve end. I looked away, lifting my cigarette to my lips with a shaky hand.

Barrows came to me now, setting the clipboard on a rolling table beside the gurney I was on and brushed a thumb over the edge of the wound. I flinched and hissed at him.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" I growled, holding onto his wrist.

He ignored me and jerked his arm away, turning to the female ghoul that had just been standing by her desk. "Graves I need two Med-X, its deep. Get me a stimpak to."

She nodded and almost skipped over to a hanging first aid box by the doors we had entered through, pulling out two small syringes and a stimpak plunger. She shut and locked the box, weaving around Quinn and nudging Barrows aside so she could inject the pain medication into my leg. She handed the stimpak to Barrows and then smoothly weaved back around him and Quinn, dropped the empty syringes into the trash and slid into her desk chair to begin typing on the terminal in front of her.

Barrows watched her for a moment before he sighed and turned back to me. "Ignore Nurse Graves' antisocial attitude. She prefers to ignore others. Anyway, can you tell me what happened to cause this wound?"

I nodded, inhaling on my cigarette before I snuffed it out against the wall. "I was working my way through the metro to get here and was ambushed by a raider. I overpowered him and got his gun, he found a rusty knife and stabbed me."

"All you need are a few stimpaks, no more doses of Med-X and you'll be ok. Let me get it cleaned up first so I can bandage it."

I sighed and leaned back on the gurney, my chest heaving forward and making the breast cups tighten and dig into my sensitive skin. I closed my eyes and let Barrows get to work on cleaning the now numb wound. I felt nothing while he poked and prodded and scrubbed the hole clean, but I did feel the tightness of his wrapping and opened my eyes, looking around the room. Quinn was still there, staring at me and it made me uncomfortable. I sat up ramrod straight, watching Barrows finish taping the gauze down. Good, I wanted to get out of here. I wanted to find the guy Gob had been talking about and I wanted to get home. That was the only reason I came out here, took me two damn days to reach this place, and I would not spend this time fucked up like I usually would in other towns.

Barrows stood straight, placing the significantly smaller roll of gauze on the table beside us. "There you go, how long do you plan on staying here?" Barrows asked, placing his hands on his hips.

I shrugged. "Maybe a day or two, I want to leave tomorrow though."

He nodded and picked up his clipboard, turning back to his feral. "Well check up with me before you go."

"Sure."

I hopped off of the gurney, flinching when a dull throb of pain thrummed through me. I ignored it with a shake of my head and stumbled out of the Chop Sop and into the main part of Underworld. Ghouls were muttering, their hazy eyes on me and it made my blood boil. Why talk about me huh? I get enough of it everywhere else, why here? Ugh, whatever. I rolled my eyes and started limping towards a room labeled Underworld Outfitters.

There was an over joyous woman behind the counter, she seemed so happy to see me. "Oh my gosh, a human! I-I mean an actual customer! Hi, I'm Tulip. Wh-What can I get you?"

I frowned then smiled the best I could, laying my heavy bag onto the counter. "I just need to sell a few things and buy some others. Go ahead and rifle through the bag, just don't take any of the medicine or the microfusion cells. They're for my laser rifle."

She nodded and went to work, while I eyed the ghoul in the blue jumpsuit that was eyeing me. I leaned backwards against the counter, fiddling with one of my belt loops. He blew air from between his teeth and finally walked over. "My names Winthrop, who are you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Pretty straight forward there, I like it. My names Nevaeh, nice to meet you Winthrop."

He smiled, his mood instantly shifting from cautious to calm. "What brings you to Underworld smoothskin?"

I smiled myself. "Dropped by to sell some things, get some things fixed and get me a bodyguard."

"I can fix what you need fixed, but the bodyguard things stumps me."

I laughed, handing over my laser rifle. "Me too, I got a hint from a friend that I might find a good bodyguard here. Think you can get that fixed up for me?"

He rolled the rifle around in his hands, eyeing every nook and cranny with critical, old eyes. He slid his fingers over the surface, fingering a few cracks before he nodded and pulled the rifle against his chest. "Sure, just need to replace a few parts and clean it out and it'll work better than before."

I clapped my hands together, flinching from the pain that vibrated through me. "Awesome! Thank you so much, how much do you think this'll cost?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well originally it would be three hundred caps, but for your first time it's for free."

My face lit up, my eyes wide. "Really?"

He chuckled at my childish expression. "Sure, but just this once."

I nodded my head vigorously and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, even though I was in too much pain. "Thank you so so so much!"

When I let him go he wouldn't meet my eyes and turned around, walking towards a workbench with tools and parts littered all over it. I smirked and turned back to Tulip who had an armful of junk I never used. I chuckled when she struggled not to drop an old broken pistol. I reached for it before it clattered to the floor, dropping it onto the counter. Tulip followed my example, smiling at me.

"So many goodies!" she cheered, clapping her hands together.

I laughed at this, seeing how happy she was with a pile of crap. I wish I was so easily please, but no it took a good amount of booze to give me that rush of pleasure. I helped her sort through it, asking for prices and all that good shit. Before I left the room I remembered what I needed to ask her, what I needed to ask anyone here.

"Oh hey, can I ask you something?"

Tulip looked up from her safe, shutting the door to it slowly when she stood. "Sure, anything."

I swallowed hard and rubbed the back of my hand. "A friend of mine mentioned a pre-war mercenary lived here, said he would be a good bodyguard for me. Know where I can find him?"

Her eyes grew wide and her thin body tensed up, fingers curling into fists and leaving stripes through the grime on her counter top. Winthrop was paused over my rifle, fingertips barely brushing against the pale gray surface. They both shared a worried glance and Winthrop eventually nodded and Tulip gave a deep breath, looking at me with cautious eyes.

"Up in the 9th Circle, try there."

I blinked in cock at her sudden lapse of emotions. So it was true, this horrible man lived here. I don't know what the feeling in the pit of my stomach is right now. It's an emotion I have felt before, an emotion I never wanted to feel again since I left the vault.

I looked down at the floor and then the doorway, at Tulip who was glaring at me. Why was she looking at me like that? She was being so nice to me a minute ago, what had happened? Thinking back at her tone of voice it was like she was warning me against something, as though I was about to purchase a slave or murder the whole town. I stared at her hopelessly for a moment and then turned on my heel, walking out of the store and examining the lobby area. There was this statue in the middle of the concourse; stripped men were dragging themselves up a plume of fire, their mouths open in obvious pain or despair. Their detail-less eyes seemed hollow and sent these weird trills up my spine.

I turned away from the horrible statue and hobbled over towards the front doors we came through. I looked around and trailed up the right staircase from the doors. I passed the ghoul from earlier, the one muttering about buggers and nearly gagged on the stench of alcohol coming from him. It was like he bather in whiskey. On the top floor I passed a familiar ghoul, well not in the face but in the annoying cheerful voice.

"Moira?"

She turned to me, Robco jumpsuit singed and torn. Her ghoul lips stretched into a grin, blood seeping from a crack in the flesh. "Nevaeh! It's so good to see you!"

I smiled a little, confused. "What uh….what happened to you?"

Her mouth popped into an o and she snapped the fingers of her left hand, placing said hand on her cocked hip. "Well it was the darndest thing, I was out testing some chemicals by the old school and there was a bright flash. Guess that bomb in Megaton went off after all. What a shame to, I did love that town but it gave me a good excuse to wonder down here and see what's what in the ruins. How have you been?"

I swallowed hard. "Oh you know, the usual, wandering and drinking." Damn did I feel guilty for the first time ever.

She smiled wider, blood dribbling to her chin, but she ignored it. "Well I'm glad someones still alive, you still wanting to help e with the survival guide? It would be a huge help."

I was such a sucker for this crazy woman. "Sure, just let me know what you want me to do by tomorrow and I'll be glad to help."

Moira nodded and ran off, rambling about a huge list of things she needed done. I sighed and kept limping, holding my head. Why did she get me eveytime/ I looked up at the sign beside a set of double doors. Carol's Place. I sighed and looked across the balcony to another set of double doors. I looked back to Carol's Place and starting hobbling to another room I saw in front of me. There were just mirror images of the doors behind me and a ghoul in lacey pajamas in the corner. Said his name was Snowflake and he would love to play with my hair. I looked at the doors to the 9th Circle longingly then smiled at Snowflake, grinning almost, and requested Quantum.


	6. The Drunken Wailer

**Alexander**

"Thank you Alex!"

I waved back at Wolfgang, adjusting the pack on my shoulder. "No problem guys, hurry your ass back to Rivet City alright?"

The merchant laughed, shaking his head. "You get your ass back home Alex."

I smiled wide. "I sure will."

We parted ways, me heading west, him heading east. Rex had his nose pressed into the sand, sniffing through the radiation and occasional blood we came across. I took the old beaten flask from the left pocket of my duster, taking a sip of the burning whiskey. I looked over at the setting sun over the city ruins and sighed through the burn of alcohol. I smiled down at the flask, running my gloved fingers over the infinity symbol carved into it. It's been two hundred years since that symbol was carved into it, two hundred years since I first used this thing. I can't believe I've kept up with it for so long.

"Hey Rex, what you think about stayin' in Megaton for a little longer this time?" I asked the hound, tucking the flask back into my coat pocket.

He looked back at me, his brain casing glowing as he actually thought about it. He barked once, his tail wagging, and turned back to the worn path in front of us. I smiled and kept in line behind him. Every time we got home I'd spend one night drinking until I couldn't walk and we'd be out into the wasteland again but I was tired right now and just wanted to settle in for awhile then head out. I needed to rest up my old bones for a moment. Maybe a week, maybe a little longer who knows.

When we trudged up the hill and onto the road I ducked as an Eye-bot came zooming above me, away from the Super Duper Market. I paused at the top, seeing nothing but the out shell of the old store, my eyes going wide as I noticed the green haze thickening behind it.

"What the fuck happened here…" I muttered, rubbing my left arm.

The radiation was making me tingle from the inside out, making me want to sprint and not stop. That's what no one understood, sure radiation made us strong, made us heal and live but when there was a massive amount around us we just wanted to run because of the energy it gave us, the way it made our hearts race was dangerous if we were human. Of course a human wouldn't be alive long in this haze. I started forward with Rex at my side, whining softly against my leg. I reach down and pat his brain casing, my large hand covering it completely as I gave it a little shake.

As we walked I noticed a singed skull and that alongside the radiation made my heart pick up its pace further. I started walking faster, slowly burning the energy until everything inside of me just fell. I pressed my hand flat against the large boulder beside me and slid to my knees, breathing heavily as my throat squeezed like I was choking. Ghouls couldn't cry, we just couldn't, and this was painful in more ways than one. The twisted walls of what was Megaton pointed towards the sky, which was blocked by the radiation floating through the air. I held a hand over my chest and squeezed the fabric there, my wide brimmed hat falling in the dirt at my knees. My home…it was gone. Blown to fucking bits. I grit my teeth and pushed myself to my knees, picking up my hat and pressing it back onto my flaking head.

I know what the fuck happened, I know who did this, I know how I can get revenge for this. My home, something I had been looking to find for these past two hundred years, was nothing but twisted metal and ash. I thought I had found a place I could actually stay in and not be driven out by any gang, be it raiders or slavers. But no, fuck no, that bitch blew it to bits and I would find her. I would find the bitch and I would make her pay. Gob, Nova, Professor Cromwell. I would get revenge for my family…my friends. I shook my head and stood straight, looking back towards the city. She was there, she had told em she would be there for awhile, said she had to deal with her father one night in a drunken haze. She had said she needed to fix a satellite and would be in rivet City for awhile. The way to the monument, the one staring me in the face right now, is difficult and she would need to rest somewhere. She likes to drink as much as I do so she would defiantly spend a night or two getting drunk. But that was over a month ago, or was it two months? I always lose track of the days in the desert. But still, from the way she is she would defiantly leave an impression on the people in any of the towns scattered around that area they would surely have remembered her and I could track her down from there.

"Come on boy," I called to Rex who was whining at the rubble. "No boy, home is gone. We gotta go find that lass and get rid o' her."

He growled and turned on his heel almost, loping back towards me. He followed closely as I stomped through the dirt, eventually breaking through the haze and being at the mercy of the sun. I hated that thing, always have ever since I was a little kid. I remember my Ma trying to coax me out of the house during the summer months so my brother and I could go down to the beach and swim, play. Never thought I'd have to live with that big ball of gas for two hundred years. We moved past Wilhelms Warf, me waving at the kind old woman that I had gotten to know over my few years in the Capital Wasteland. As I passed the old bridge I noticed the blood soaked sand. I stopped just before the rusted bridge leading to the Citadel and stared at the sand, lifting up my boot and noticing the sand was sticking to the cracks in my soles. So it was fresh. I narrowed my eyes forward, at the guards of the Citadel and pressed forward.

"Hey, you see a lass come through here? About ye' high," I pressed a hand against my chest. "long black hair, nice lil body?"

The guard with the mini-gun looked to his partner then back to me, nodding. "Yeah, Nevaeh. Yeah she came through here, covered in raider blood. She came through about a day ago."

"Know where she was going?"

He nodded. "Yeah, heard her complaining about Underworld when she climbed into the water."

I gave him a slight nod. "Thank ya."

"No problem ghoul."

I strolled past him, whistling the Drunken Wailer. I don't think I have all of the notes right, but to me it sounded genius and I think I'm the only one that stills remembers the song so what did it matter to anyone else? I stared at the waters edge and sighed, finding the shallowest part of the river to trail through. Rex whined but followed behind me still, ever the good companion.

"We gonna take care of the lass," I grinned, fishing my flask from my pocket again and taking a thick swallow. "We gonna get her back good."

I hated that I sounded like a moron but she ruined my home and I would not let this just slip on by. I would get my revenge, maybe torture her. She destroyed an entire town for no reason, and everyone in it. She needed to be tortured. I walked past a few mutants that were patrolling in front of the Jefferson Memorial, shooting each of them in the back of the head. It was a silenced pistol, so I wasn't attacked by the other mutants, they were none the wiser until they were dead. Rex kept calm behind me, guess he knew I could handle the mutants on my own. This dog was around the same age as me, he was ancient. Thank god he was mechanical or I wouldn't have my favorite companion anymore.

"Hey alex, thought you'd be in Megaton by now."

I looked up from the ground to Wolfgang. There were some of the merchants from inside Rivet City buying supplies from his caravan guard. They eyed me with obvious distaste in their eyes. I looked back to Wolfgang, obvious anger in my eyes.

"Megaton's gone."

His eyes widened and everyone else froze. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean it's gone, blown to pieces by that bitch from Vault 101."

"I never heard anything of it."

"How?"

Wolfgang shrugged. "None of the caravans have really been going that way because of all of the Deathclaw sightings. We haven't been to Canterbury either, I was thinking of working my way up there tomorrow after a good night's rest here myself."

"Well take care of yourself man, alright?"

He shrugged. "Hey man, why don't you come and escort me? I can pay you."

My eyes darkened again. "I got some business to take care of."

He nodded slowly, knowing what I meant. "Hey man, don't be too harsh on her, she's just a kid."

I stepped past him, totally ignoring that final sentence. So what she was a fucking kid, she destroyed a town full of innocent people. She needed to be dealt with and now.

_I left this chapter intentionally short because it's a new character and all. Hope yall like Alex, you can thank coduss for our good ol' drunken ghouly. Should I give stats? I think that's in order._

_Name: Alexander Anderson_

_Age: 238_

_Race: Irish/Ghoul_

_S: 7-8_

_P: 5-6_

_E: 7-8_

_C: 10_

_I: 6_

_A: 5_

_L: 8_

_Skills: Small Guns-65/ Big Guns-20/ Repair-50/ Science-30/ Melee-50/ Sneak-30/ Barter-50/ Speech-75/ Energy Weapons-20/ Unarmed-50._

_You get no more info! Sorry I am in a FANTASTIC mood today._


	7. Fuzzy

Fuzzy…everything was so damn fuzzy. I blinked and rolled in bed, rubbing my eyes with my knuckles but nothing eased the fuzzy film over my eyes. What happened to the dim amber light of Carol's Place? What happened to the bed that smelt of rust and leather? What happened to the buzz of drunken ghouls and the faint hum of the radio?

"Nevaeh? You want to be my science partner?"

I cringed away from Amata's cheerful voice, hiding my head in the folds of my arms. "Sure, Amata."

It was either her or Susie Mack and the stupid bitch wouldn't say a damn word to me, like _ever. _It's because of her parents, I know it. All of their parents in the Vault (like there were any other parents outside of the Vault), were like that. Never wanted their children around me, labeled me as the bad seed, the problem child. I had never done anything to them, so why brand me on the spot? It was their own kids they should be worried about. Amata and Freddie Gomez have been hooking up in the classroom every night for two months. What if she got pregnant? Oh wouldn't that rattle our Vaults ideal of perfect children?

"Are you even listening to me, Nevaeh?"

I looked up at Amata, my eyes half lidded. "Nope, not even one bit."

She groaned and started preaching about cell theory again. I had heard her the first time, well not all of it, but some of it. I watched her wave her hands around, demonstrating what cells looked like and how they moved to the others and blah, blah, blah. I groaned and dropped my chin to my arm, grumbling to myself. My eyes flickered to the left corner of the classroom where I saw Carly, the resident 'angel' of the Vault, slipping into her desk. She tucked a long strand of auburn hair behind her ear and I saw her lips moving as she muttered to herself. Susie Mack looked over her shoulder at Carly and smirked, laughing at her while I growled.

She never did anything to anyone, I doubt she really knew how to speak to another human besides her mother. Her mother worked with my father in the medical bay, she was a really sweet person as well, but I knew she was tough as well.

I growled low in my throat when I saw Butch hunch over Carly, making her tense up, and flick at her braid that fell across the curtain of auburn hair. I pushed myself up out of my seat and stalked over towards them, ready to strike.

"That was great Carl," Butch drew out in his disgusting dialect.

Carly cringed. "Please go away Butch."

"Aw come on girly, I didn't mean anything by it." he purred against her ear.

I grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled im away, standing between im and er protectively. "She said back off Butch, now back off."

He leveled a glare at me, one that I know everyone else would back down to but I wouldn't. His lips quirked up into a smile and backed up, laughing a little.

"Whatever, I'll back off, but you ask her why I was here if you want to back her up."

I watched Butch leave with dark eyes then turned back to Carly, smiling down at her while she simply stared at me with large eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem," I swiveled around and sat in the seat in front of her desk, bracing both of my elbows against the top of her desk. "So what was he talking about?"

She looked up hesitantly, sighing. "We uh…we had a fling the other night."

My jaw almost hit the top of her desk. "You and him?" she nodded. "Holy shit, how did that happen?"

She looked up, a slightly dark look in her eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it."

I held my hands up. "Hey, that's cool. Really, just thought I'd lend a kind ear."

Her face flashed to desperate and apologetic. "Holy shiz! I am so sorry, I didn't mean anything by that."

I smirked. "It's ok honey, don't get so worked up."

She blinked and set her forehead against the desk top. "Sorry again…"

"Carly, really it's ok. Look how bout tonight you come over to my apartment? I can keep Butch away from you."

She looked up with sparkly eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

I smiled and pushed myself up, ass in the air. I heard a wolf whistle behind me and smirked over my shoulder at Freddie Gomez. I looked back to her and smiled softly.

"Alright, let me get back to Amata before she blows a gasket."

She chuckled a little and I pretty much skipped off, plunking down in my seat with a sigh. Amata eyed me suspiciously but didn't say anything about what happened, but went back to talking about cells for a little bit, but of course she went right back to it.

"So what was that about?" she asked, slipping our report into a clear sleeve.

I rolled my eyes. "Butch was being Butch and was messing with her."

"I don't trust her."

"Why not?"

Amata looked over to her with slightly narrowed eyes then looked over to me. "Her and her mother are weird people. I just don't trust them."

I threw a hand in the air. "I trust em, their just nice people. So what?"

Amata shrugged her shoulders. "Well they act weird and I don't trust them."

I let it be and just sighed. "So are you done with this?" I gestured to the clear packet in front of me.

Silence, never a good thing coming from Amata. I looked up and saw her talking, but I couldn't hear anything. I stared at her, wondering if she was fucking with me, but then I noticed I couldn't hear anything from anywhere around me. I looked around the room, noticing everyone else was kind of laughing, but it looked painful. I stood up and started to yell at Amata, but nothing came from my lips.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

_Yet another short chapter. I guess I'm gonna start posting two chapters at a time, it would help clear out my files because I have too many of them saved…and it would help tide you guys over for these too long breaks between my postings._


	8. Fuck

I sat up groggily in the bed in Carol's Place, looking around with slightly hazy eyes. I blinked and rubbed them, yawning unattractively and stretching in bed. Ugh, what kind of dream was that? It was shitty to the max. I rubbed the side of my head, locks of Quantum colored hair falling into my eyes as I looked around, able to see clearly. Charon was slumped in his chair, his gun cradled in his arms. I found the image peaceful and just laid on my side, closing my eyes again as I pulled the covers over my head further. Maybe we could sleep just a little long. It would mean more energy right? More energy, more focus on battle and all that. My mind could rationalize almost anything.

I thought back on that dream, on Carly. I wonder what she was doing right now. I hadn't seen her when I was escaping from the Vault. We had become good friends after that day, the day I defended her from Butch. She was closer to me than Amata, and we were _close_. She must have been hiding when everything went to hell. That sounded like something she would do. But her mother was whole nother story. Her mother would have been fighting those radroaches and helping me escape along with Officer Gomez and Amata.

"Mistress?"

I groaned and sat up, seeing Charon standing with his gun strapped to his back. he looked fully awake, ok that was a lie. He looked irritated at having been awake so early, so like everyone who gets up in the morning. Had I woke him up somehow? Oh if I did I would feel like a horrible person. I rubbed my eyes again and slung my legs over the edge of the bed, shivering when the cold air hit my legs. I hadn't had real cold air conditioning like this since the Vault.

"Call me Nevaeh, Charon. Please."

He nodded. "When do you wish to leave? I can have our bags packed whenever you wish."

I waved a hand, groaning as I stood against my will, stretching to wae myself up. If I was alone I would moa at how good the simple action felt, but Charon was right there and watching so I kept it as modest as possible. Stretching did the trick and now I was more awake than before, still a little groggy but whatever.

"We can leave now, my bags already packed," I eyed him for a moment, noting the strap of a pack across his shoulder. "I didn't know you had a pack."

He shifted it a little. "Winthrop brought it to me after you were asleep."

Not much of a talker eh? That was cool, maybe. I don't know if I like to talk. I'm usually alone so there's no one to talk to and how can I judge if I talk too much in that situation? I rolled my hips, hearing my hip and legs pop and hoisted my pack up and over my shoulder. I picked up my laser rifle and held it in my left hand, opening the stall door. Most of the ghouls in the inn were asleep, but there were two sitting at the round table, both holding their heads in their hands as they stared into their own cracked mugs of black liquid. I took a deep inhale of the air and smiled a little. I always loved the smell of coffee.

I looked over and saw Carol trying to reach the top shelf of her crumbling book case but Greta, who was a whole head taller than her, plucked a box of Fancy Lad Snack Cakes from the top shelf and handed it to Carol. They smiled at each other and pecked each other on the lips, Greta patting her shoulder as she walked back over to the cash register and carol walked over to the table. She placed a hand on one ghouls shoulder, leaning over her to place the box of snack cakes in the center of the table before she saw me. She smiled and stood straight, folding her hands in front of her.

"You two leaving so early?" she asked.

I nodded, a little numbly. "Yeah, got stuff to do. I would stay longer, but I need to get moving. Well…we need to get moving."

She nodded and her hazy eyes lit with recognition as she turned on her heel and jogged over to her cash register. She bumped Greta out of the way with her hip and started digging through a small drawer in her desk before she jogged back to us, an old worn envelope in her tattered hands.

"Please give this to Gob," she breathed, eyes flickering to Charon briefly. "And Charon you make sure she keeps safe you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," I heard his gruff voice mumble, as though she were his mother scolding him.

I chuckled and took the letter, tucking it into my top. "I'll make sure he gets it, Carol. If he sends you a letter I'll be sure to bring it to you."

She smiled again and nodded softly. "Thank you sweet heart. Now go on." she waved us away.

I waved a little and led Charon out of the motel, walking down the stairs and towards the Chop Shop. Barrows and Graves were hunched over a small figure lying on a cot in the corner, hissing at each other before Barrows noticed me.

"I didn't think you'd come in." he murmured, leaving Graves to inject the unconscious woman with something that resembled a Stimpak but it seemed off color, the casing.

I shrugged. "You wanted me to check in so I came over before I forgot. Don't need this thing getting infected."

He chuckled a little and had me sit on the same cot I had when I got here, unwrapping the gauze that was stained with blood. I hissed when the cold air hit the hole in my leg, and I heard Charon take in a sharp breathe.

"What happened?" he asked.

I looked over at him while Barrows wiped away the puss. "I got stabbed by a Raider in the tunnels, nothing too big."

"That is big, Nevaeh."

"I'm not arguing this early in the morning Charon."

He stopped bothering me, but when I looked down at the wound I wish he would have kept me distracted from it. It looked awful, angry and already scabbing thanks to the Stimpaks and sleep. There was yellow, smelly puss bubbling from the corners, but what bothered me was the way I could see my fucking muscle. I groaned and leaned back on my hands, letting Barrows being to wrap my leg back up.

When he was done he gave my leg a soft pat, helping me off of the cot. "It should be fine as long as you don't go on a fucking ten mile run."

I chuckled. "Yeah never planned on that."

"Good, now inject this in an hour to ease the pain. And trust me, it will hit in an hour."

I saluted him and took the Med-X from him, sticking it in the side pocket of my pack. "Sir, yes sir."

He waved me away and soon Charon and I were standing outside the Museum, me breathing in the cool, crisp D.C. air. Morning was probably the only time I enjoyed the Wasteland. Everything had this weird feel, the sky was always clouded and the air felt nice and cool, there was always a lot of wind too and it felt fantastic. The Mall was quiet but I could see Super Mutants wandering around the top of the dugouts, guns and bodies pointed at the Washington Monument. Were they waiting for the Brotherhood soldiers to wake up? They were insistent bugger alright. Oh shit, the word caught on like a fucking disease.

"Nevaeh if you stand there any longer a Super Mutant will see you and I do not wish to fight so many so early."

I glared down at Charon but nodded, following him down into the metro. It was way fucking cold down here and the smell of blood and rot was so strong I gagged. Drops of vomit dappled the floor, but I just wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and kept going. Charon didn't look back at me, just kept going forward with his gun out. I cold see his head subtly swiveling back and forth, looking for any threat. To me, or him? I can only hope it is me. I lit a cigarette and pulled my rifle forward, waltzing up to Charon's side.

"I already cleared this place out last night,' I told him, exhaling a smoke ring.

He looked over at me. "A new threat could have moved in over night."

I sighed and stepped back, not wanting to be all up in his business. He didn't seem like a morning person, so I didn't need to push this. I wanted him to get comfortable with me before I started this searching thing. Well…no I needed to find my Dad, I decided that subconsciously because all I could think about was my father. Was he ok? Did he make it to his destination? Is he eating right, sleeping? I sighed, rubbing my forehead with the heel of my hand. I needed to bathe. I feel so gross after sleeping in Carol's Place. Not because of the bed or the ghouls, it was just after living in Tenpenny Tower and having everything so clean like in the Vault (you'd be surprised how clean for the Wasteland) I'm spoiled again.

"Nevaeh?"

I looked up at Charon, who was still facing forward. We were walking through the tunnels now; since the tunnels were now empty it wouldn't take us as long to get out of them and to Rivet City. That's where Three Dog said Dad was, so that's where we needed to check.

"What Charon?" I asked, ashing my cigarette and sticking it into the corner of my mouth.

"I would like to know where we are going."

I smacked myself in the forehead, watching ashes fall from my cigarette. "Right, it would be good to inform my bodyguard of our destination. We're going to Rivet City."

He 'hmmed' and went back to looked for threats. I wish we didn't have to go Rivet City. I wish my father would grow up, I wish he would have told me where he was going, I wish he would have told me he was leaving. If he would have I could have came with him, helped him. I wouldn't have had to kill so many people in the Vault. I cut their population down so low they'd have to become a part of the Wasteland soon.

"Why are we going there?"

"To look for my dad, Three-"

I was knocked to the concrete in a flash, my skull cracking against the hard surface while my gun slid away from me and between the ancient railings. Teeth were wrapped around my throat and there was this faint glow out of the corner of my eye but I couldn't move to see what it was. I think it was a dog but I can't be sure. I saw Charon hit the ground, amazed by the new bulk above him, holding him down with their boot on his throat while they got what looked like zip ties ready. He tied Charon with two on both his wrists and ankles, keeping his large knife and shotgun out of reach as he moved over to me.

"Hold her down boy while I tie the lass up."

It was a man, with an accent much like Moriarty had. An Irish man about the same size as Charon, fuck. I grunted when they tightened the ties around my wrists and ankles, but was relieved when the teeth were removed from my throat. the man flicked on my Pip-Boy light on and I gasped sort of, seeing this ghoul above me and a mechanical dog at his side. He was dressed in a weird duster, like a Regulator but not, and a hat like Lucas' but it seemed…off. He reached down and cupped the glowing part of the dogs head where a brain floated, giving it a small shake before the dog yipped and licked his hand.

"Thought ya could destroy ma home lass?" he asked.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I growled, jerking a little.

He laughed. "You destroyed my home, lass. You should remember killing off a town full of innocent people," he bent down more, crouching and bracing his elbows against his spread knees. "And ya should remember me."

I jerked again. I remembered the face, just not the name. I remember him defending Gob against Moriarty…fuck I can't remember what he said his name was.

"Now ya gonna pay for what ya did."

My eyes grew. "Oh fuck no, no no no I have stuff to do."

He laughed. "Your funny."

"Fuck off man, seriously. Please let me go, I know what you're talking about and I have to tell you you've got it all wrong! I swear!"

"You expect me to believe that? Why?"

"Because it's the fucking truth."

He wasn't a cruel person, I could see that in his unnaturally bright green eyes. But he didn't know what was going on with the Megaton residents and I didn't really want to say anything in case he gave it away and word spread back to the Tower. Didn't need them suring up their defenses.

"I don't believe you." He hissed, losing the mood quickly.

He was drunk, could tell it in the slight slur. "Listen, I'll show you. If I try anything, you can kill me on the spot. Charon do you hear me?"

"Nevaeh i-"

"Charon if I try to cross him you let him kill me. that is an order you can follow right?"

He was silent for a long time. "Yes."

I nodded and looked up into those green eyes. "I swear you have it all wrong…I just can't take a chance in anyone over hearing, it would ruin my plans."

He glared down at me for a long time. "I'm still not so sure of this."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on man, just listen to me."

He stared at me longer before he sighed, muttered fuck under his breath and reached down my body with a large knife and cut through the zip ties. I groaned and stretched myself before I stood, seeing Charon doing the same thing. He watched the stranger with cautious, hate filled eyes. I didn't really care, I just grabbed my rifle and pack.

"I'm too old for this shit," the stranger muttered, pulling a flask from his pocket.

I watched him knock back a sip. "What's your name stranger?"

He looked over the edge of the flask to me before he pulled the neck away, swallowing and capping the flask again. He dropped it into his coat pocket again before he answered me.

"My name's Alexander, call me Alex." He mumbled, obviously still flush with anger.

I rubbed my neck a little. "And your mutt?"

He smiled at that, not very widely, reaching down and petting the dog on his back. "This here is Rex, been with me for a minute."

"He's mean."

"Only when I tell him to be."

I swallowed hard and turned to Charon, seeing him staring hard at the stranger. "Charon…" he looked over at me. "Let's get going."

He nodded and we started through the tunnels again, Charon growling when Alexander was too close to me. Alexander eyed him for a moment and moved ahead of us a little, lighting a cigarette. I grumbled like Charon, lighting my own and offering one to Charon. He nodded and I pulled one from the pack, lighting it with the end of my own cigarette and passing it to him. This was going to be the longest fucking walk ever.

* * *

_sorry coduss if you think i went a little out of character with Alex, but to me this is what would happen. I don't think he would be someone to just kill someone without giving someone a chance to explain themselves before hand._


End file.
